Electrochemical cell and fabrication method of the same

ABSTRACT

An electrochemical cell is provided which facilitates the reduction in size and thickness. An electrochemical cell is configured of a base member made of a resin material and formed in a box shape, a conductive terminal made of a metallic material and fixed and penetrated from the inside to the outside of the base member, a frame member made of a metallic material and fixed to the base member, and a cover member welded with the frame member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electrochemical cell such as anon-aqueous electrolyte cell and an electric double layer capacitorutilizing electric double layer theory, and to a fabrication method ofthe same.

2. Description of the Related Art

The electrochemical cell such as the non-aqueous electrolyte cell andthe electric double layer capacitor is used for a backup power source ofclock functions, a backup power source of semiconductor memories, anauxiliary power source of electronic devices such as a microcomputer andan IC memory, a battery of solar-powered clocks, and a power source fordriving motors. With the realization of non-volatile semiconductormemories and reduced power consumption of clock function devices, theelectrochemical cell is not required for large capacity and largecurrent so much. Instead, for the needs of the electrochemical cell, anincreasing demand is that components are placed on a mounting boardapplied with solder cream and are mounted in a reflow furnace controlledat a solder melting point (200 to 260° C.), as similar to ICs, andquartz and SAW devices. Furthermore, it is required for high-densitymounting and the reduction in size and thickness as well as the ICs, andquartz and SAW devices

Traditionally, the electrochemical cell such as the non-aqueouselectrolyte cell and the electric double layer capacitor is packaged ina metal case shaped in a coin or button (for example, see PatentReference 1).

FIG. 12 depicts a cross-sectional view for describing a traditionalelectrochemical cell. It is configured of a positive electrode case 61of stainless steel having the upper end surface side opened in acircular shape for housing a positive electrode active material 601 anda negative electrode active material 603 as electrodes and a separator602, and of a circular negative electrode case 63 fit into the positiveelectrode case 61 through a circular gasket 62 of insulating resin.Moreover, when surface mounting is required, the cell has a positiveelectrode terminal 65 a welded with the positive electrode case 61 and anegative electrode terminal 65 b welded with the negative electrode case63.

Patent Reference 1 JP-A-2002-190427

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For the electrochemical cell such as the traditional non-aqueouselectrolyte cell and the electric double layer capacitor describedabove, a sealing structure is conducted for securing heat resistantproperties in solder reflow in which the gasket 62 in an annular shapeis pressed by the positive electrode case 61 circularly opened and thecircular negative electrode case 63 for crimping. For securing the heatresistant properties and sealing properties of the electrochemical cell,the cell is shaped in a coin or button. However, since the packages ofICs, and quartz and SAW devices placed on the mounting substrate areformed in a rectangular shape, space is created when the electrochemicalcell is arranged. When this space is used effectively, a little over 20percent increase is expected in the storage capacity of theelectrochemical cell. Furthermore, the positive electrode case 61 isformed of a metallic material, but it is short-circuited when thepositive electrode case 61 is contacted with the negative electrodeterminal 65 b. Therefore, space needs to be secured. More specifically,as shown in FIG. 12, the negative electrode terminal 65 b needs toextend outside over the outer diameter of the positive electrode case61, causing the space occupied on the mounting substrate to be furtherincreased. Thus, dead space is created to increase the occupied areawhen the cell is arranged on the mounting substrate, and it is difficultto increase the capacity per unit area on the mounting substrate.Moreover, when the positive electrode terminal 65 a and the negativeelectrode terminal 65 b are mounted on the positive electrode case 61and the negative electrode case 63, the individual components areoverlaid and welded with each other as shown in FIG. 12. Therefore, thetotal thickness of the electrochemical cell is increased to hinder thereduction in thickness while the number of process steps of mounting thepositive and negative electrode terminals is increased, causing highprice.

An object of the invention is to enhance the flexibility of the shapesof the electrochemical cell to facilitate the reduction in size andthickness, to realize large capacity, to provide resistance againstsolder reflow temperatures, and to reduce the number of components andthe number of process steps for low price.

To achieve the object, the invention is an electrochemical cellcharacterized by including:

a separator;

a pair of electrodes placed on top and bottom surfaces of the separator;and

a container for housing the separator and an electrolyte impregnated inthe pair of the electrodes,

wherein the container includes:

a base member having a bottom part and a side part disposed on a topsurface of the bottom part along an outer rim of the bottom part, thebottom part and the side part formed in one piece;

a conductive terminal made of a metallic material disposed on the topsurface of the bottom part, penetrating from an inner side of the basemember to an outer side thereof, and having a surface contacted with oneof the pair of the electrodes, the surface opposite to a surfacecontacting with the bottom part;

a frame member made of a metallic material joined to an entire rim of atop surface of the side part; and

a cover member made of a metallic material joined to an entire rim of asurface opposite to a surface of the frame member contacting with thebase member.

Furthermore, the invention is characterized by having a cover connectingterminal, wherein one end thereof is extended to a side surface of thecover member.

Moreover, the invention is characterized in that a part of the other endof the cover terminal and a part of one end of the conductive terminalextended from the base member have surfaces on a same plane.

Besides, the invention is characterized by having a frame connectingterminal, wherein one end thereof is extended to a side surface of theframe member.

Additionally, the invention is characterized in that a part of the otherend of the frame connecting terminal and a part of one end of theconductive terminal extended from the base member have surfaces on asame plane.

Furthermore, the invention is characterized in that one end is extendedfrom the side surface of the frame member, and penetrated from the upperend part of the side part to a bottom surface of the bottom part throughthe surface where the side part is contacted with the bottom part.

Moreover, the invention is characterized in that the other end or oneend of the conductive terminal is contacted with an under surface of thebottom part, and is not protruded outside over the thickness of theterminal from the side part.

Besides, the invention is characterized in that the conductive terminalis formed of a material of stainless steel or aluminium.

Additionally, the invention is characterized in that the frame memberand the cover member are formed of a material of any one of stainlesssteel, aluminium and FeNi alloy.

Furthermore, the invention is characterized in that the conductiveterminal is formed of stainless steel, and the frame member and thecover member are formed of FeNi alloy.

Moreover, the invention is characterized in that the cover member iswelded with the frame member.

Additionally, the invention is characterized in that a brazing materialof nickel or silver alloy is plated over the frame member and the covermember.

Besides, the invention is characterized in that a part having a narrowjoint width is disposed on at least a part of a joint part of the framemember overlaid and welded with the cover member, and an opening isformed for discharging the electrolyte when an internal pressure of theelectrochemical cell rises.

Additionally, the invention is characterized in that the base member isformed of a material of any one of epoxies, polyimides, polystyrenes,polyphenylene sulfides, polyesters, polyamides, and polyethers.

Furthermore, the invention is characterized in that a thin part inthickness is disposed on at least one part of the base member or thecover member, and an opening is formed for discharging the electrolytewhen an internal pressure of the electrochemical cell rises.

Moreover, a second means for solving the problem is a fabrication methodof an electrochemical cell characterized by having: a separator; a basemember for housing a pair of electrodes facing each other through theseparator; a conductive terminal penetrating through the base member; aframe member joined to the base member; and a cover member joined to theframe member, the fabrication method of the electrochemical cellcomprising the steps of:

placing the frame member formed in a hoop in a forming mold of the basemember;

placing the conductive terminal in the forming mold of the base member;

injecting a resin material into the forming mold to form the base memberin a box shape;

assembling the base member where the conductive terminal and the framemember are joined thereto into a container;

attaching one electrode of the pair of the electrodes to the conductiveterminal;

placing the separator and the other electrode of the pair of theelectrodes on a surface opposite to a surface contacting with theconductive terminal of the one electrode; and

overlaying and welding the frame member with the cover member by aheating unit.

Besides, the invention has the step of carrying current through the hoopto plate a brazing material over the frame member, after the step ofassembling the base member where the conductive terminal and the framemember are joined thereto into the container.

Additionally, the invention has the step of continuously forming aplurality of the frame members in a hoop of metal foil formed with guideholes in which a part of the frame member has bridges, and separatingthe bridges from the hoop of the metal foil, before or after the step ofoverlaying and welding the frame member with the cover member by theheating unit.

Furthermore, the invention is characterized in that in separating theframe member formed in the hoop, at least one part connecting the hoopto the frame member is left to form a frame connecting terminal extendedfrom the frame member.

Moreover, the invention is characterized in that the base member is aresin component having a heat resistant property for holding its shapein heating at a temperature of 200° C. or higher for one minute orlonger.

Besides, a third means for solving the problem is a fabrication methodof an electrochemical cell characterized by having: a separator; a basemember for housing a pair of electrodes facing each other through theseparator; a conductive terminal penetrating through the base member; aframe member joined to the base member; and a cover member joined to theframe member, the fabrication method of the electrochemical cellcomprising the steps of:

placing the conductive terminal formed in a hoop in a forming mold ofthe base member;

placing the frame member in the forming mold of the base member;

injecting a resin material into the forming mold to form the base memberin a box shape;

assembling the base member where the frame member and the conductiveterminal are joined thereto into a container;

attaching one electrode of the pair of the electrodes to the conductiveterminal;

placing the separator and the other electrode of the pair of theelectrodes on a surface opposite to a surface of contacting with theconductive terminal of the one electrode; and

overlaying and welding the frame member with the cover member by aheating unit.

Additionally, the invention has the step of carrying current through thehoop to plate a brazing material over the frame member, after the stepof assembling the base member where the conductive terminal and theframe member are joined thereto into the container.

Furthermore, the invention has the step of continuously forming aplurality of the conductive terminals in a hoop of metal foil formedwith guide holes in which a part of the conductive terminals hasbridges, and separating the bridges from the hoop of the metal foil,before or after the step of overlaying and welding the frame member withthe cover member by the heating unit.

Moreover, the invention is characterized in that in separating theconductive terminals formed in the hoop, at least one part connectingthe hoop to the conductive terminals is left to form a frame connectingterminal extended from the frame member.

Besides, the invention is characterized in that the base member is aresin component having a heat resistant property for holding its shapein heating at a temperature of 200° C. or higher for one minute orlonger.

Additionally, a fourth means for solving the problem is anelectrochemical cell characterized by including:

a separator;

a pair of electrodes facing each other through the separator; and

a container for housing the separator and an electrolyte impregnated inthe pair of the electrodes, the electrochemical cell further comprising:

a base member made of a resin material in a box shape for housing thepair of the electrodes, the separator and the electrolyte; and

a conductive terminal and a connecting terminal surface-mounted on aland disposed on a mounting substrate,

-   -   wherein positive and negative electrodes are distinguished from        each other by length or shapes of the conductive terminal and        the connecting terminal.

Furthermore, the invention is characterized in that the conductiveterminal and the connecting terminal are extended from a lower endsurface of the base member, and connected to the mounting substrate.

Moreover, the invention is characterized in that the conductive terminaland the connecting terminal are not protruded outside over the thicknessof the terminals from a side wall of the base member.

Besides, the invention is characterized in that joint parts of theconductive terminal and the connecting terminal connected to themounting substrate have a plating film of tin, nickel or silver.

Additionally, the invention is characterized in that the base member isa resin component having a heat resistant property for holding its shapeat a temperature of 200° C. or higher for one minute or longer.

The advantages of the means for solving the problem are as follows. Morespecifically, the pair of the electrodes, the separator and theelectrolyte are housed in the recessed part of the base member, and thecover member is overlaid and wielded with the frame member for joiningeach other. Thus, the electrochemical cell in any shapes and the sealingstructure resistant against solder reflow temperatures can be realized.

Furthermore, the positive and negative electrodes are connected to theconductive terminal and the cover connecting terminal, or the frameconnecting terminal to the mounting substrate. As the configuration ofthe electrochemical cell, the base member insulates the conductiveterminal from the cover connecting terminal or the frame connectingterminal. Therefore, the conductive terminal and the cover connectingterminal, or the frame connecting terminal can be placed on the lowerend surface of the base member, and the dead space of the mountingsubstrate can be reduced as much as possible to allow large capacity.

Moreover, since the frame connecting terminal is formed to extend fromthe frame member or the cover member, the cell is reduced in thicknesswith no increase in the total thickness of the electrochemical cell. Theprocess steps of mounting the positive and negative electrode terminalsare eliminated.

As described above, the invention exerts the advantages that enhance theflexibility of the shapes of the electrochemical cell to facilitate thereduction in size and thickness, realize large capacity, provideresistance against solder reflow temperatures, and reduce the number ofcomponents and the number of process steps for low price.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The teachings of the invention can be readily understood by consideringthe following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electrochemical cellaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an outside diagram illustrating the electrochemical cellaccording to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the electrochemical cellaccording to the invention;

FIG. 4 is an outside diagram illustrating an electrochemical cellaccording to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the electrochemical cellaccording to the invention;

FIG. 6 is an outside diagram illustrating an electrochemical cellaccording to the invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the electrochemical cellaccording to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for describing a fabrication method of theelectrochemical cell according to the invention;

FIG. 9 is an outside diagram for describing the fabrication method ofthe electrochemical cell according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is an outside diagram illustrating an electrochemical cellaccording to the invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the electrochemical cellaccording to the invention; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the traditionalelectrochemical cell.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the invention will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 to 12.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, 11 depicts a base member made of a resin materialformed in a box shape having a recessed part 11 a for configuring acontainer with a conductive terminal 15 penetrating through the wallsurfaces of the base member 11 from the inner side of the recessed part11 a to the outer side thereof and a frame member 12 joined to the basemember 11. Furthermore, a positive electrode active material 101 isattached to the conductive terminal 15 with a conductive adhesive, and aseparator 102 and an electrolyte not shown in the drawing are housed inthe recessed part 11 a. Moreover, a negative electrode active material102 is attached to a cover member 13 with the conductive adhesive, andthe frame member 12 is overlaid and welded with the cover member 13.Besides, stainless steel or aluminium is used for the conductiveterminal 15, and stainless steel, aluminium or FeNi alloy is used forthe frame member 12 and the cover member 13.

Here, as the material for the conductive terminal, metals havingsuitable pressing, cutting and welding properties are used fromstainless steel such as 19 Cr-9Ni steel and 18 Cr-12 Ni—Mo—Cu steel, andaluminium and aluminium alloys. The material for the frame member andthe cover member includes stainless steel such as 19 Cr-9 Ni steel and18 Cr-12 Ni—Mo—Cu steel, aluminium and aluminium alloys, FeNi alloyssuch as 42 alloy and FeNiCo alloy. Furthermore, as the method forwelding the cover member with the frame member, these methods are used:a method of using optical absorption such as YAG laser, semiconductorlaser, and lamp heating; a method of using frictional heat in which anultrasonic transducer is pressed against the cover member to rub betweenit and the frame member; and a method of using resistance heating inwhich current is carried through the cover member or between the covermember and the frame member for heating. Moreover, the use of a brazingmaterial for a joint material of the cover member to the frame member isalso included. As the brazing material, Ni plating, Sn plating, or AgCualloy is used. Here, in order to easily join the brazing materials forthe cover member and the frame member each other, the application offlash plating such as Au or Pt to the surface of the brazing materialsis included.

Besides, insulating resins can be applied as the material for the basemember. These resins are suitable in the aspects of stiffness and heatresistant properties: thermosetting resins with heat resistance such asepoxies and polyimides, and thermoplastic resins such as polystyrenes,polyphenylene sulfides, polyesters, polyamides and polyethers. Here,syndiotactic polystyrene is selected as polystyrenes, linear orcross-linked polyphenylene sulfide is selected as polyphenylenesulfides, all aromatic polyesters called liquid crystal polymers areselected as polyesters, nylon is selected as polyamides, and polyetherether ketone, polyether sulfone and polyetherimide are selected aspolyethers. Furthermore, products that glass fiber, mica, and ceramicsfine powder are added to these resins are also used.

Moreover, as an electrical power generation element for theelectrochemical cell, which is housed in the container configured of thebase member, the conductive terminal and the frame member, traditionallyknown products can be used for the non-aqueous electrolyte cell: lithiumcontaining manganese oxides, lithium containing cobalt oxides andlithium containing titanium oxides for the positive electrode activematerial, and carbon, lithium alloys, transition metal oxides andsilicon oxides for the negative electrode active material. For theelectric double layer capacitor, activated carbon can be used for thepositive and negative electrode active materials.

Besides, as the separator, an insulating film having a great ionpermeability and a given mechanical strength is used. In considerationof mounting in the reflow furnace, glass fiber can be used stably, butresins such as polyphenylene sulfide, polyethylene terephthalate,polyamide and polyimide can be used as well. The pore diameter andthickness of the separator are not defined particularly, which aredesign items determined based on current values for devices for use andthe internal resistance of the electrochemical cell. In addition,ceramics porous products can be used as well.

As the solvent for the electrolyte solution, a traditional non-aqueoussolvent is used when the electric double layer capacitor and thenon-aqueous secondary battery are taken as examples. This non-aqueoussolvent includes cyclic esters, chain esters, cyclic esters and chainesters. In consideration of reflow mounting, a single or a complexproduct selected from γ-butyrolactone (γBL), propylene carbonate (PC)and ethylene carbonate (EC) can be used alone.

As the electrolyte, one kind or more of salts can be used, including(C₂H₅)₄PBF₄, (C₃H₇)₄PBF₄₁ (CH₃) (C₂H₅)₃NBF₄, (C₂H₅)₄NBF₄, (C₂H₅)₄PPF₆,(C₂H₅)₄PCF₃SO₄₁ (C₂H₅)₄NPF₆, lithium salt such as lithium perchlorate(LiClO₄), lithium phosphate hexafluoride (LiPF₆), lithium borofluoride(LiBF₄), lithium phosphate hexafluoride (LiAsF₆), lithiumtrifluoromethane sulfonate (LiCF₃SO₃), andbis(trifuluoromethylsulfonylimide lithium [LiN(CF₃SO₂)₂], thiocyanogensalt, and aluminium fluoride salt. The electrolyte can be used in a gelform or solid form in combination with a non-aqueous solvent, asupporting salt, and polymers including polyethylene oxide derivativesor polyethylene oxide derivatives, polymers including polypropyleneoxide derivatives or polypropylene oxide derivatives, phosphate esterpolymer, and PVDF. Furthermore, the use of an inorganic solidelectrolyte of LiS/SiS₂/Li₄SiO₄ is included. Moreover, ionic liquidssuch as pyridines, alicyclic amines, and aliphatic amines and coldmolten salts such as amidines are acceptable. The use thereof exerts theadvantage that suppresses the generation of steam in welding the covermember with the frame member.

Besides, the safety valve function of the base member includes partiallyreducing the thickness of the base member. Additionally, the safetyvalve function provided for the joint part of the frame member to thecover member includes locally forming a weak joining part. The safetyvalve function serves as a role to release the gas of internal pressureincrease when an abnormal event is generated such as overcurrent orexternal heating, and thus avoids accidents such as a rupture. In theinvention, the safety valve function can be added to the electrochemicalcell with no cost increase.

In the embodiment according to the invention, the joint part of the basemember 11 to the conductive terminal 15 and the joint part of the basemember 11 to the frame member 12 are closely contacted with each otherregardless of the shape, and the sealing property by metal contact canalso be obtained in welding the frame member 12 with the cover member13. Therefore, there are no limitations on the shapes. Morespecifically, even though the base member 11 is a rectangular container,it prevents humidity from entering externally, and the characteristicsof the electrochemical cell can be maintained even after it is passedthrough the reflow furnace set at a solder melting point (200 to 260°C.).

Example 1

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an electrochemical cellaccording to the invention. FIG. 2 shows an outside diagram illustratingthe electrochemical cell according to the invention. FIG. 3 shows across-sectional view illustrating the electrochemical cell according tothe invention.

In this example, an epoxy was used for a base member 11, and 18 Cr-12Ni—Mo—Cu steel of stainless steel was used for a conductive terminal 15.Tin was plated over the portions where the conductive terminal 15 wasextended to the outer wall of the base member 11 for facilitating solderjoint to a mounting substrate. 42 Ni—Fe alloy was used for a framemember 12 and a cover member 13. An active material was prepared bykneading carbon black as a conductive material and PTFE as a binder withactivated carbon commercially available. The kneaded product was rolledby roll press to form into a sheet, and it was cut to form a positiveelectrode active material 101 and a negative electrode active material103. For an electrolyte, (C₂H₅)₄NBF₄ was dissolved in PC for use. Here,as an assembly method of the electrochemical cell, the conductiveterminal 15 and the frame member 12 were placed in a base member formingmold, and an epoxy resin was injected thereinto to form the base member11 in a box shape having a recessed part 11 a. The conductive terminal15 was attached to the positive electrode active material 101, and thena separator 102 was housed in the recessed part 11 a. Subsequently, thecover member 13 attached with the negative electrode active material 103was overlaid with the frame member 12 for seam welding of the resistanceheating method.

In order to evaluate the sealing property of the electrochemical cell,the cell was immersed in a fluorine liquid for a leak test. It wasrevealed that the cell had a sealing property of 10⁻⁵ atom·cc/sec orgreater. In addition, the electrochemical cell was soldered through areflow furnace where a first zone was at a temperature of 160° C. fortwo minutes, a second zone was at a temperature of 200° C. or higher forone minute, and a peak temperature was 260° C. It was confirmed that thecharacteristics were not varied before and after soldered.

Example 2

FIG. 4 shows an outside diagram illustrating an electrochemical cellaccording to the invention. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional viewillustrating the electrochemical cell according to the invention.

In a cover terminal, one end thereof is connected to the side surface ofa cover member and extended therefrom. It is bent in parallel with theside surface of the base member, and extended along the side surface ofthe base member to the bottom part. The other end thereof is bent on asurface contacting with a land, and has the surface contacting with theland on almost the same plane as the bottom surface of the base member.One end of a conductive terminal is placed on the bottom surface insidea container, and the other end thereof is extended through outside thecontainer. This other end is also bent on a surface contacting with theland, and has the surface contacting with the land on almost the sameplane as the bottom surface of the base member.

An epoxy was used for the base member 31, and 18 Cr-12 Ni—Mo—Cu steel ofstainless steel was used for the conductive terminal 35. A coverconnecting terminal 33 a was extended from the cover member 33. Tin wasplated over the portion where the conductive terminal 35 was extendedfrom the outer wall of the base member 11 and over the cover connectingterminals 33 a, for facilitating solder joint to a mounting substrate.42 Ni—Fe alloy was used for a frame member 32 and the cover member 33.An active material was prepared by kneading carbon black as a conductivematerial and PTFE a binder with activated carbon commercially available.The kneaded product was rolled by roll press to form into a sheet, andit was cut to form a positive electrode active material 301 and anegative electrode active material 303. For an electrolyte, (C₂H₅)₄NBF₄was dissolved in PC for use.

The cover member 33 was plated with nickel 2 μm in thickness and gold0.5 μm in thickness, and the frame member 32 was plated with nickel 2 μmin thickness for seam welding of the resistance heating method. Here,nickel was plated over the cover member 33 and the frame member 32functioned as a brazing material for hermetic sealing. In order toevaluate the sealing property of the electrochemical cell thusfabricated, the cell was immersed in a fluorine liquid for a leak test.It was revealed that the cell had a sealing property of 10⁻⁵ atom·cc/secor greater. In addition, the electrochemical cell was soldered through areflow furnace where a first zone was at a temperature of 160° C. fortwo minutes, a second zone was at a temperature of 200° C. or higher forone minute, and a peak temperature was 260° C. It was confirmed that thecharacteristics were not varied before and after soldered.

Example 3

For a base member 11, the base member 11 was formed of polyphenylenesulfide of a thermoplastic resin.

Aluminium was used for a conductive terminal 15. Nickel was plated overa portion where the conductive terminal 15 was extended from the outerwall of the base member 11, for facilitating solder joint to a mountingsubstrate. 42 Ni—Fe alloy was used for a frame member 12 and a covermember 13. An active material was prepared by kneading carbon black as aconductive material and PTFE as a binder with activated carboncommercially available. The kneaded product was rolled by roll press toform into a sheet, and it was cut to form a positive electrode activematerial 101 and a negative electrode active material 103. For anelectrolyte, (C₂H₅)₄NBF₄ was dissolved in PC for use. The cover member33 was plated with nickel 2 μm in thickness and gold 0.5 μm inthickness, and the frame member 12 was plated with nickel 2 μm inthickness for seam welding of the resistance heating method. Here,nickel was plated over the cover member 13 and the frame member 12functioned as a brazing material for hermetic sealing.

In order to evaluate the sealing property of the electrochemical cellthus fabricated, the cell was immersed in a fluorine liquid for a leaktest. It was revealed that a cell had the sealing property of 10⁻⁵atom·cc/sec or greater. In addition, the electrochemical cell wassoldered through a reflow furnace where a first zone was at atemperature of 160° C. for two minutes, a second zone was at atemperature of 200° C. or higher for one minute, and a peak temperaturewas 260° C. It was confirmed that the characteristics were not variedbefore and after soldered.

Example 4

FIG. 6 shows an outside diagram illustrating an electrochemical cellaccording to the invention. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional viewillustrating the electrochemical cell according to the invention.

In a frame connecting terminal, one end thereof is connected to the sidesurface of a frame member and extended therefrom. It is bent in parallelwith the side surface of the base member, and extended along the sidesurface of the base member to the bottom part. The other end thereof isbent on the surface contacting with a land, and has a surface contactingwith the land on almost the same plane as the bottom surface of the basemember. One end of a conductive terminal is placed on the bottom surfaceinside a container, and the other end thereof is extended throughoutside the container. This other end is also bent on a surfacecontacting with the land, and has the surface contacting with the landon almost the same plane as the bottom surface of the base member.

In this example, the portion where the frame connecting terminal 52 awas extended from the frame member 52 and the portion where theconductive terminal 55 was extended from the outer wall of the basemember 51 were placed on the same plane. Here, as an assembly method ofthe electrochemical cell, the conductive terminal 55 and the framemember 52 were placed in a forming mold of the base member, and an epoxyresin was injected to form the base member 51 in a box shape having arecessed part 51 a. The conductive terminal 55 was attached to apositive electrode active material 501 with a conductive adhesive, andthen a separator 502 was housed in the recessed part 51 a. Subsequently,the cover member 53 attached to a negative electrode active material 503with the conductive adhesive was overlaid with the frame member 52 forseam welding of the resistance heating method. Since an amount of heatfor welding is released near the frame connecting terminal 52 a extendedfrom the frame member 52, a scheme was done to increase the amount ofcurrent for control to form a sealing structure.

In order to evaluate the sealing property of the electrochemical cellthus fabricated, the cell was immersed in a fluorine liquid for a leaktest. It was revealed that the cell had a sealing property of 10⁻⁵atom·cc/sec or greater. In addition, the electrochemical cell wassoldered through a reflow furnace where a first zone was at atemperature of 160° C. for two minutes, a second zone was at atemperature of 200° C. or higher for one minute, and a peak temperaturewas 260° C. It was confirmed that the characteristics were not variedbefore and after soldered.

Example 5

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart for describing a fabrication method of theelectrochemical cell according to the invention.

FIG. 9 shows an outside diagram for describing the fabrication method ofthe electrochemical cell according to the invention.

The frame member 52 formed in a hoop is placed in the forming mold ofthe base member (step 801). The conductive terminal 55 is placed in theforming mold of the base member (step 802). Subsequently, a resinmaterial is injected into the forming mold of the base member to formthe base member 51 in a box shape having the recessed part 51 a, and theconductive terminal 55 and the frame member 52 are assembled into thecontainer (step 803). Then, current is carried through the hoop to platea brazing material over the frame member 52 (step 804). A pair of theelectrodes, the separator and the electrolyte are housed in the recessedpart 51 a of the base member (step 805). The frame member 52 is overlaidand welded with the cover member, not shown, by a heating unit (step806).

Here, 18 Cr-12 Ni—Mo—Cu steel of stainless steel was used for theconductive terminal 55. A thin plate of 42 Ni—Fe alloy was used for theframe member 52 for press working to prepare the hoop. In press working,the plate was punched to form perforations 59 also used for positioninga work in each step and bridges 58 for holding the frame member 53. Anepoxy was used for the resin material of the base member 51. The epoxyof thermosetting resin was cured by heating the forming mold of the basemember. At this time, the conductive terminal 55 and the frame member 52placed in the forming mold of the base member are closely contacted withthe epoxy of the base member 51, and can be shaped in a desired form.Nickel was used for the brazing material plated over the frame member52, and was plated 2 μm in thickness. 42 Ni—Fe alloy was used for thecover member, and nickel was plated 2 μm in thickness. Here, resistanceheating was used as the heating unit. More specifically, two rollerelectrodes were prepared, and pressed against the both ends of the covermember in good balance, and current was carried between the electrodes.The parts of the electrodes contacted with the cover member were heatedto melt the nickel plating on the cover member and on the frame member52. The nickel plating was solidified to join the cover member to theframe member 52. This process was repeated by rolling the electrodes ina roll. After this welding, the bridges 58 connected to the frame member52 were cut from the hoop to fabricate the electrochemical cell. Theelectrochemical cell was immersed in a fluorine liquid for a leak test.It was revealed that the cell had a sealing property of 10⁻⁵ atom·cc/secor greater. In addition, the electrochemical cell was soldered through areflow furnace where a first zone was at a temperature of 160° C. fortwo minutes, a second zone was at a temperature of 200° C. or higher forone minute, and a peak temperature was 260° C. It was confirmed that thecharacteristics were not varied before and after soldered.

Example 6

FIG. 10 shows an outside diagram illustrating an electrochemical cellaccording to the invention. FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional viewillustrating the electrochemical cell according to the invention.

In this example, the electrochemical cell according to the invention wasjoined to a positive electrode wiring pattern 77 a and a negativeelectrode wiring pattern 77 b formed on a mounting substrate 77. As theconfiguration of the electrochemical cell, a frame connecting terminal72 a extended from a frame member 72 and the portion where a conductiveterminal 75 extended from the outer wall of a base member 71 were placedon the same plane. Here, as an assembly method of the electrochemicalcell, the conductive terminal 75 and the frame member 72 were placed ina forming mold of the base member, and an epoxy resin was injected toform the base member 71 in a box shape having a recessed part 71 a. Theconductive terminal 75 was attached to a positive electrode activematerial 701 with a conductive adhesive, and then a separator 702 washoused in the recessed part 71 a. Subsequently, the cover member 73attached to a negative electrode active material 703 with the conductiveadhesive was overlaid with the frame member 72 for seam welding of theresistance heating method. The conductive terminal 75 and the frameconnecting terminal 72 a extended over the lower end surface of the basemember 71 were bent inside as facing each other. After this, the cellwas placed on lands of the positive electrode wiring pattern 72 a andthe negative electrode wiring pattern 72 b for soldering through areflow furnace where preheating was at a temperature of 180° C. for tenminutes, and heating was at a temperature of 240° C. for one minute.

In order to evaluate the sealing property of the electrochemical cell,the cell was immersed in a fluorine liquid for a leak test. It wasrevealed that the cell had a sealing property of 10⁻⁵ atom·cc/sec orgreater. In addition, the electrochemical cell was soldered through areflow furnace where a first zone was at a temperature of 160° C. fortwo minutes, a second zone was at a temperature of 200° C. or higher forone minute, and a peak temperature was 260° C. It was confirmed that thecharacteristics were not varied before and after soldered.

Example 7

In order to confirm that it is advantageous for the reduction in thesize of the electrochemical cell, the cell was fabricated where theouter shape of the base member 51 was 3 mm in width and 5 mm inthickness, and the thickness of the base member 51 was 1 mm from thebottom surface to the top surface of the cover member. The guide holes59 of +1 mm were formed in the frame of the hoop, and guide pins wereinserted for positioning by fitting to the guide holes 59 at a space of10 μm. The electrodes, the separator and the electrolytes wereincorporated, and then the frame member 52 was overlaid and welded withthe cover member. The displacement was within 20 μg/m in assembling andwelding these components. Consequently, even though variations arecreased in the outer shape of the base member 51, the positions of theguide holes 59 formed in the frame of the hoop connected to the framemember 52 by the bridges 58 are formed highly accurately. Therefore, theelectrodes, the separator and the electrolyte can be incorporatedeasily, and the cover member can be welded easily. More specifically, itwas confirmed that the fabrication method was advantageous for thereduction in the size of the electrochemical cell. The fabricatedelectrochemical cell was evaluated as similar to the examples 1 to 6. Asthe evaluation method, the cell was soldered through a reflow furnacewhere a first zone was at a temperature of 160° C. for two minutes, asecond zone was at a temperature of 200° C. or higher for one minute,and a peak temperature was 260° C. It was confirmed that no leakage wasfound before and after soldered, and that the capacity was not varied.The measurement conditions for capacity were that the cell was chargedat 2.5 V for 30 minutes and then it was discharged at a current of 20μA. The result is shown in Table 1.

FIG. 12 shows a traditional coin type electrochemical cell having theouter diameter of +3 mm and the thickness of 0.8 mm. The coin type celldoes not have positive and negative electrodes on the same plane. Thus,the coin type electrochemical cell with terminals of surface mountingtype was fabricated in which a positive electrode terminal 65 a formedof a metal plate 0.1 mm in thickness was welded to a positive electrodecase 61, and a negative electrode terminal 65 b formed of a metal plate0.1 mm in thickness was welded to a negative electrode case 63, wherethe width was 3 mm, the length was 5 mm, and the thickness was 1 mm. Theelectrochemical cell was evaluated as similar to the examples 1 to 7. Asthe evaluation method, the cell was soldered through a reflow furnacewhere a first zone was at a temperature of 160° C. for two minutes, asecond zone was at a temperature of 200° C. or higher for one minute,and a peak temperature was 260° C. It was confirmed that no leakage wasfound before and after soldered, and that the capacity was not varied.The measurement conditions for capacity were that the cell was chargedat 2.5 V for 30 minutes and then it was discharged at a current of 20μA.

TABLE 1 Before Reflow Soldering After Reflow Mounting Capacity PerSoldering Area Capacity Mounting Area Capacity (mm²) (mF) (mF/mm²) (mF)Example 7 15 40 2.7 40 Comparative 15 10 0.7 10 Example

1.-15. (canceled)
 16. A fabrication method of an electrochemical cellhaving: a separator; a base member for housing a pair of electrodesfacing each other through the separator; a conductive terminalpenetrating through the base member; a frame member joined to the basemember; and a cover member joined to the frame member, the fabricationmethod of the electrochemical cell comprising the steps of: placing theframe member formed in a hoop in a forming mold of the base member;placing the conductive terminal in the forming mold of the base member;injecting a resin material into the forming mold to form the base memberin a box shape; assembling the base member where the conductive terminaland the frame member are joined thereto into a container; attaching oneelectrode of the pair of the electrodes to the conductive terminal;placing the separator and the other electrode of the pair of theelectrodes on a surface opposite to a surface contacting with theconductive terminal of the one electrode; and overlaying and welding theframe member with the cover member by a heating unit.
 17. Thefabrication method of the electrochemical cell according to claim 16,further comprising the step of carrying current through the hoop toplate a brazing material over the frame member, after the step ofassembling the base member where the conductive terminal and the framemember are joined thereto into the container.
 18. The fabrication methodof the electrochemical cell according to claim 17, further comprisingthe step of continuously forming a plurality of the frame members in ahoop of metal foil formed with guide holes in which a part of the framemember has bridges, and separating the bridges from the hoop of themetal foil, before or after the step of overlaying and welding the framemember with the cover member by the heating unit.
 19. The fabricationmethod of the electrochemical cell according to claim 18, wherein inseparating the frame member formed in the hoop, at least one partconnecting the hoop to the frame member is left to form a frameconnecting terminal extended from the frame member.
 20. (canceled)
 21. Afabrication method of an electrochemical cell having: a separator; abase member for housing a pair of electrodes facing each other throughthe separator; a conductive terminal penetrating through the basemember; a frame member joined to the base member; and a cover memberjoined to the frame member, the fabrication method of theelectrochemical cell comprising the steps of: placing the conductiveterminal formed in a hoop in a forming mold of the base member; placingthe frame member in the forming mold of the base member; injecting aresin material into the forming mold to form the base member in a boxshape; assembling the base member where the frame member and theconductive terminal are joined thereto into a container; attaching oneelectrode of the pair of the electrodes to the conductive terminal;placing the separator and the other electrode of the pair of theelectrodes on a surface opposite to a surface contacting with theconductive terminal of the one electrode; and overlaying and welding theframe member with the cover member by a heating unit.
 22. Thefabrication method of the electrochemical cell according to claim 21,further comprising the step of carrying current through the hoop toplate a brazing material over the frame member, after the step ofassembling the base member where the conductive terminal and the framemember are joined thereto into the container.
 23. The fabrication methodof the electrochemical cell according to claim 22, further comprisingthe step of continuously forming a plurality of the conductive terminalsin a hoop of metal foil formed with guide holes in which a part of theframe member has bridges, and separating the bridges from the hoop ofthe metal foil, before or after the step of overlaying and welding theframe member with the cover member by the heating unit.
 24. Thefabrication method of the electrochemical cell according to claim 23,wherein in separating the conductive terminals formed in the hoop, atleast one part connecting the hoop to the conductive terminals is leftto form a frame connecting terminal extended from the frame member.25.-30. (canceled)